Private Robin Hood
by suzie2b
Summary: Take from the rich and give to the poor.


**Disclaimer:** _ **The Rat Patrol**_ **is not my property. They come out to play sometimes, then I send them home.**

 **Private Robin Hood**

 **By Suzie2b**

 **Hitch was sitting next to the fire, a book in one hand and a flashlight in the other. Troy looked at his driver with a smile and said, "Must be a good book. You've been reading it every chance you get."**

 **Hitch grinned. "** _ **The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood**_ **by Howard Pyle. My mom sent it."**

 **Troy said, "Well, don't forget you're on watch after Tully. You'd better get some sleep."**

 **#################**

 **It started not long after the Rat Patrol returned to Ras Tanura after a mission. They were to resume their daily patrols and spend their nights on base. Over the next couple of weeks things were being reported missing from the mess hall. Food mainly—bread, cheese, a whole chicken, cereal, some canned goods. Just a few things every couple of days. Cookie dutifully filled out the required reports and handed them in to headquarters.**

 **Then one morning, when Sergeant Alexander appeared in the kitchen, one of his men said, "Umm … sarge, the night shift says one of the tables is missing."**

 **Cookie's expression didn't change, since he always wore a scowl, as he growled, "What! Which table?"**

" **That smaller one in the far corner."**

 **Another of his men said, "Yeah, and four chairs went with it."**

 **Cookie said, "I don't believe this! In the past two weeks I've filled out three missing property reports because someone's stealing** _ **my**_ **food! Now this! What is wrong with people?"**

 **Just before the Rat Patrol left on a weeklong mission a more sizable amount of food disappeared. After that, the thefts stopped.**

 **#################**

 **A week after the Rat Patrol's return, Cookie's men gave him a list. "What's this?"**

" **Stuff that's gone missing this past week, sarge."**

 **Cookie's scowl deepened as his looked at the handwritten list and began to read out loud, "Two sixty-four ounce cans of fruit cocktail; one five pound bag of flour and one of rice; another one of my chickens!" He didn't finish the itemized list. "This has got to stop!"**

 **When Cookie was let into Captain Boggs' office, the captain asked, "What can I do for you Sergeant Alexander?"**

 **He handed a newly filled out missing property report and said, "The thefts had stopped, but they just started up again this week."**

" **And no one has seen a thing?"**

 **Cookie shook his head. "Nope. Pretty sure it's happening at night, but the crew says they haven't seen anyone."**

 **Boggs set the report on the desk in front of him. "All right, sergeant. I'll have it looked into. In the meantime I suggest you start keeping the food locked up at night."**

 **#################**

 **Troy and Moffitt reported to Captain Boggs' office and was told about the mess hall thefts. "I want this stopped … now."**

 **Moffitt said, "Could be an inside job."**

" **Could be … but Sergeant Alexander doesn't think so."**

 **Troy asked, "Isn't this job more suited for Captain Nelson and his MPs?"**

 **Captain Boggs replied, "Normally I would say yes, but you and your men are better at asking the right questions and actually getting answers."**

" **All right, sir, we'll see what we can find out."**

 **#################**

 **Troy sent word to Hitch and Tully to meet him and Moffitt at the mess hall. When they arrived, the sergeants were at a table with Cookie. As they slid into a couple of chairs, Alexander was saying, "I have two men on the night shift. Mainly for cleanup and keeping the coffee hot for the late night people. They're good guys. I don't see them doing this."**

 **Hitch asked, "What's going on, sarge?"**

 **Troy said, "Someone's stealing from the mess hall."**

 **Hitch's eyes got big as Tully questioned, "Stealing food?"**

 **Moffitt replied, "Mostly. But whoever it is has made off with a table and four chairs as well."**

" **It's not like we don't get enough to eat around here. Maybe it's some of the locals."**

 **Cookie said, "The problem is, no one has been seen taking the goods even though there's always someone here."**

 **Troy said, "Captain Boggs wants us to investigate."**

 **Hitch frowned. "Why us? Can't the MPs handle it?"**

 **Moffitt smiled. "The captain seems to think we're a little better at getting answers."**

 **Troy looked at the expression on the private's face. "Do you have a problem with this, Hitch?"**

 **The private was quick to shake his head. "No … but you'd think we'd have better things to do than look for a food thief."**

 **Cookie said in his usual gruff manner, "Someone is stealing food from** _ **my**_ **kitchen. Food that** _ **I'm**_ **responsible for. There is a person or persons out there that's taking food out of our soldiers' mouths and I want it stopped."**

 **Troy said, "We'll see what we can do to find out who's doing it." He looked at his men. "Hitch, you and Tully take a look around town. See if you can find any evidence that the locals are involved."**

 **Tully asked, "Where are you and Moffitt going to be?"**

" **We're going to check around the barracks. If one of our guys is taking this stuff, we should be able to find some evidence."**

 **#################**

 **Hitch and Tully went to the Arab quarter to start their search. They checked the market to see if anyone was reselling the stolen merchandise, but didn't find anything.**

 **They had started to search every trash bin they could find, when Tully noticed that Hitch wasn't searching as diligently as he could be. "What's wrong with you? The sooner we find out who's responsible for this, the sooner we can get back to our normal duties."**

 **Hitch shrugged. "I just don't think it's a local. I think we're wasting our time here."**

 **They went to another set of barrels situated at the end of a row of houses and Tully started to go through one as he asked, "How can you be so sure?"**

" **It's just a feeling."**

 **Tully straightened up holding a large empty can labeled "FRUIT COCKTAIL". "Just a feeling, huh? What do you call this?"**

 **Hitch's eyes went wide. "Ummm…"**

 **Tully dropped the can back in the trash bin. "Someone around here is the culprit, and we need to find them."**

" **Maybe it's just a coincidence."**

 **Tully faced his friend, put his hands on his hips, and cocked his head slightly to one side. "Okay, out with it. What's going on?"**

 **Hitch quickly said, "Nothing!" At the look on Tully's face, he knew he'd been caught. Hitch sighed in resignation. "I've been taking the stuff."**

" **What? Why?"**

" **I didn't do it for me."**

 **Tully crossed his arms over his chest. "Care to explain before we go talk to Troy and Moffitt?"**

 **Hitch hesitated, then nodded. "Come on. I'll show you."**

 **##################**

 **Hitch took Tully by several of the one-room houses that were little more than hovels. When they stopped, Tully asked, "Are you going to tell me what's going on?"**

 **Hitch looked around before he said in a low voice, "It's that house directly across the street. I was at the market one day and saw two young children begging for whatever they could get—money, scraps of food … just anything."**

" **It's sad, but we see it all the time, Hitch."**

" **The little girl,** **Leyla, is about seven and her brother, Kadyn, is maybe five or six. Thinking they were orphans I asked them why they needed to beg in the street. Leyla told me that their father broke his leg and can't work right now. While their mother stays home to take care of him, the kids go out during the day to beg for enough to feed them. I gave them enough coins to buy a little food and followed them here."**

 **Tully said, "You're stealing food to give to this family?"**

 **Hitch nodded slowly. "It's not like the army can't afford it. I've just been taking a few things from the mess hall kitchen and leaving it on their back doorstep at night. I didn't think the stuff would even be missed."**

" **And no one caught you?"**

" **Not at first, but then Leyla's mother got curious and waited up until I showed one night. She was very appreciative of what I was doing for them and promised it would only be until her husband's leg was healed."**

 **Tully asked, "How much longer is that?"**

" **The splints should come off in another two weeks or so. Everything seemed to be going great until we got that weeklong mission. I took extra to hold them until I got back."**

" **What about the table and chairs?"**

 **Hitch shook his head as he led Tully away. "I honestly don't know anything about that. Are you going to tell Troy and Moffitt?"**

 **Tully hesitated as he thought, then said, "You're sure it'll only be a couple more weeks?"**

" **According to the kids' mother, in two weeks it'll be six weeks since the accident."**

" **I'll tell you what. If you let me help you out, I'll keep quiet."**

 **Hitch smiled. "Thanks, Tully."**

 **##################**

 **The next night, as they walked to the mess hall, Hitch explained to Tully that when the two guys on the night shift would finish their basic work, one would take off for a couple of hours, presumably to visit his girlfriend, and the other one would sleep.**

 **Tully grinned. "How'd you figure that out?"**

 **Hitch shrugged. "I watched the routine for a couple of nights. I've got the timing down. Once they're both out of the way I go in and take a few things."**

" **It's going to be a little harder since Cookie's put locks on the cabinets."**

" **Can we use your master keys?"**

 **Tully said, "Depends on the locks, but I might have one that'll work."**

 **They hid behind some barrels behind the kitchen until they saw one of Sergeant Alexander's men leave. Then they waited until Hitch was sure the other man was asleep in his usual corner.**

 **Hitch led Tully inside. They saw a man sleeping in a chair leaned back in a corner. Staying low so as not to be seen by anyone who might be in the mess hall, Hitch and Tully went to the first cabinet. Tully silently tried several of his keys until he found one that worked. They took a few things, then locked it up before going to the next.**

 **##################**

 **Over the next week and a half Troy, Moffitt, Hitch, and Tully tried several times to trap the thief, but of course whoever it was didn't show on those nights.**

 **They did, however, locate the missing table and chairs. It seems that four soldiers, after having received some time off and going out drinking one night, decided they wanted to play poker in the quarters two of them shared and "borrowed" the table and chairs. When they awoke in the morning with hangovers, they discovered what they'd done and were afraid to return what they'd taken.**

 **One evening Troy and Moffitt were having dinner together. Troy was quiet for most of the meal, silently working on the problem at hand.**

 **Moffitt pushed his empty tray aside and said, "You're awfully quiet tonight. Care to share what's on your mind?"**

 **Troy lit a cigarette. "I can't figure out why we can't catch this guy. It's like he knows when we're going to be staking the place out. And somehow he has a key to the locks that were put on the cupboards."**

 **Moffitt said, "The only ones besides us who knew when we were going to be here were Sergeant Alexander and his night crew."**

" **Yeah." The wheels in Troy's head suddenly spun wildly. "Why don't you and I do a stakeout tonight?"**

" **Just the two of us?"**

 **Troy nodded with a smile. "Just the two of us. We don't tell anyone. Not Hitch or Tully. Not Alexander or his men."**

 **Later that evening, Troy and Moffitt discovered why Cookie's men hadn't seen the culprits. Troy kicked the chair out from under the sleeping soldier, then growled, "Sergeant Alexander isn't going to be happy when he finds out why things go missing right under your noses. Where's your buddy?"**

 **The groggy man scrambled to his feet as he said, "He goes off every night to spend time with one of his girlfriends."**

" **Okay, get back in that chair. Everything has to appear normal."**

 **##################**

 **Hitch and Tully hurried across the darkened base. Tully whispered, "We're late, ya know."**

 **Hitch replied quietly, "Yeah, but we're well within our timeframe. Don't worry."**

" **Who's worried? I'm not worried. At least this is the last time we're going to be doing this."**

 **They got to the backdoor of the kitchen knowing that the one guy was already gone. Hitch stuck his head in and saw the other one in his usual place in the corner. They made their way silently to their first stop. Tully got his keys out and unlocked the cabinet.**

 **A voice behind them said, "Well, if it isn't Privates Robin Hood and Little John." Hitch and Tully spun around as Troy continued, "What do you think you're doing?"**

 **With a lot of stammering and explaining Hitch and Tully got their story out. Finally Hitch finished with, "This was going to be the last time, sarge. Honest."**

 **Troy sighed and looked at Moffitt. "How should we handle this?"**

 **Moffitt smiled. "First I think they should gather what's needed and take it to Hitch's friends."**

 **Troy's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What!"**

" **Well, it's the last trip they'll be making to help this family out." Moffitt looked at the privates, who both nodded. "At this point, what's a few more groceries going to hurt? Then first thing in the morning we all go to Captain Boggs and tell him we caught the culprits."**

 **Before they left, Hitch said, "How did you know it was us, sarge?"**

 **Troy said, "I didn't know for sure until you two showed. But I had my suspicions when I realized the thefts stopped when we were gone and started up again when we got back. Then I remembered your book** _ **The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood**_ **. All that reading about taking from the rich to give to the poor was bound to cause problems."**

 **##################**

 **The next morning found Hitch and Tully again explaining their reasons for stealing food to Captain Boggs and Sergeant Alexander.**

 **The captain had an amused smile as he said, "Though your reasons were noble, what you did was wrong. You should've asked permission to help that family."**

 **Tully looked at Cookie and asked, "Would you have given us some food to give to them?"**

 **Alexander scoffed, "Certainly not!" Then he caught the looks he was being given. "Well, maybe a little."**

 **Captain Boggs said, "All right, Sergeant Alexander. What do you think would be an appropriate punishment for these two?"**

 **Cookie clasped his hands behind his back as he glared at Hitch and Tully. "Stockade?" He shook his head. "No, too easy on them." He thought for a moment, then turned to Boggs and said, "One month of KP, sir."**

" **That's a bit harsh. How about two weeks?"**

" **Make it three and we have an agreement, sir. And they have to start immediately."**

 **Captain Boggs said, "All right, sergeant, they're all yours. What are you doing to punish your two men?"**

 **Alexander said, "Don't worry, captain, they'll be joining Hitchcock and Pettigrew."**

 **Hitch and Tully looked at Troy and Moffitt. Troy smiled and said, "You did the crime, you do the time."**

 **Moffitt grinned at the contrite privates. "Rather fitting I'd say."**


End file.
